


Why Can't They Go To The Bar Without A Fight Starting?

by RedactedReader



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aang/Katara referenced, Bad Things Happen Bingo, Handcuffed, Implied Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Katara and Zuko are lightweights, a bunch of drunken idiots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:15:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24392653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedactedReader/pseuds/RedactedReader
Summary: In which a night on the town involves a bar fight, the beginning of feelings, an adoption, and the most casual prison break out Sokka has ever participated in.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 146





	Why Can't They Go To The Bar Without A Fight Starting?

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Bad Things Happen Bingo – Handcuffed/manacled

oOo

There was a silver hair mixed in with the deep black. It was short, only as long as a thumb, but it was enough for Sokka to be convinced that they needed to get their friend a break from running a whole country. He was just now twenty two, far to young to be graying.

“I have things to do, Sokka.” Zuko grumbled under the hood of his cloak, as he had for the last hour. His dedications to his duties had lessened within that time, and with the six beers they had gotten down his throat. It wasn’t the first time the friends had shared a drink, but it was the first time the Fire Lord had allowed himself to get so sloshed. 

“This is a really good drink,” Katara said, completely ignoring the complaints of the drunk firebender next to her. She was smiling quite giddily, giving the light blue drink in her glass a swirl. She offered it to Zuko. “You should try this.”

Zuko looked at the brightly colored drink for a moment before shrugging and taking it. He nodded in agreement, signaling for the waitress to order one for himself. 

Toph leaned on the back legs of her chair, her feet propped on the table. The waitress merely shook her head at the action, already used to the antics of the young woman. She and Sokka frequented the somewhat seedy bar just a few miles off from the Fire Nation capital city. “They are shit faced.”

“What lightweights,” Sokka agreed, downing the last of his beer. He ordered another and a round of pig-chicken kabobs. The pair watched their friends giggling to each other, lost to whatever poorly timed joke one of them had said. “Why did we bring them?”

“I don’t know. They’re holding us back. I haven’t even gotten into a bar fight yet.” Toph blew the hair from off her face. The waitress brought the drinks in record time, setting the rounds in front of them. Thanks were given as Zuko and Katara clinked their glasses together and chugged the fruity drink in one go. They stumbled to order another round of it.

“I could go for a fight,” Zuko rose to his feet, and pointed his empty glass at his friends. “Point me at the biggest guy. I’ll fight ‘em.”

Katara stood, raising a clinched fist. “Let’s fight!” 

Sokka ushered the two back into their chair. He was glad Aang had decided to skip the night out; using his just barely legal age (not that that age mattered to the already master drinker that was Toph), and the desire to help Uncle keep an eye on the Fire Nation for them as an excuse to stay back. Keeping these two wrangled was going to be enough trouble. Adding a tipsy Avatar to the mix would have been impossible. “No fights. Let’s behave.”

The waitress dropped off the drinks once more, as well as the food. Sokka whispered to her that they were cutting off their friends. To only bring them water from now on. While Sokka was talking to her, Zuko and Katara had gotten up and wandered over to a group of drunken dancers by the band. Sokka rolled his gaze onto Toph. “Why didn’t you stop them?”

“I got my eye on them,” Toph shrugged, taking one of the kabobs. “Besides, I needed a break from their giggling. It was giving me a headache.” 

The pair watched their friends among the others. At some point, Zuko’s hood had fallen back, but thankfully everyone in that bar was too drunk to notice their Fire Lord struggling to keep up with whatever dance they were all doing. Watching the pair toppling over at simple footwork, one would never expect them to be two of the more fierce some benders out there. It would be easy to mistake them as just two drunk friends, and not the Fire Lord or the Avatar’s fiance. 

It provided a nice break for all of them. Something very much needed. Sokka sat back, snacking on the pig-chicken as he kept a close eye on Zuko’s movements. He told himself it was just a precaution, but his gaze drifted down to Zuko’s backside one too many times for that to be true. He couldn’t help it. His friend had always been attractive, but as he matured into adulthood that attractiveness had matured as well. 

He was just thankful Toph was unable to track his eye movements. 

“Keep your boner in check please.” There was a taunting to Toph’s voice. He shifted self-consciously in his chair. 

Across the room, the sounds of an argument began. Zuko and Katara stood square shouldered against a rather tall, and very drunk man. He was motioning with his drink towards Katara, who jammed her finger into his chest. The pair at the table moved quickly, getting to their side in a moment. 

“I said I’m not interested.” Katara’s glared was heavy. Her hands were now on her hips as she stared up at the man who had a good two feet on her. “I’m engaged.”

The bulky man, and the four equally large men behind him laughed. “You sure sugartits? I could give you the night of your life.”

“She said she’s not interested.” Zuko’s glare was just as dark. Even drunk, the man didn’t hesitate in standing his ground. Sokka found it both rather hot and irritating how quickly the man set into protective mode. “And don’t call her that. It’s disrespectful.”

“Disrespectful?” The man bellowed. His gaze was still on Katara who looked ready to rip him into pieces. “Who are you, the manners police.”

“The manners police.” Toph faked a laugh. “Clever. You should back away buddy while you’re still in one piece.”

“Who let a child in here?” One of the men in the group said. “What are you, like twelve?”

“I’m eighteen,” Toph squared against the man. Considering the fact that she barely came up to the man’s midsection, assumptions on her youth wasn’t an uncommon thing. 

“A little young,” the original man man looked over the small woman. He leaned forward, smirking, “but I’m sure we can offer you a good night as well.”

“No thank you.” 

Sokka stepped in, placing himself between the two groups. He could feel the tension rolling off everyone’s shoulders. “Alright. How about we just go our separate ways. No need for any conflict.”

The man pushed Sokka back roughly, sending him into Zuko. “This doesn’t concern you, twink.”

A blur of red was all they saw before Zuko in a drunken haze launched himself onto the man. It was rather impressive that even after nearly ten drinks, Zuko was able to knock back a man who had a good foot and one hundred pounds over him. It least it would have been, if the sudden movement hadn’t upset his stomach, sending Zuko vomiting on the man’s shirt. The sight of it overturned Katara’s stomach and she turned, vomiting on the poor woman who had been standing near her.

“Oh fuck,” Sokka huffed as the music stopped.. There was a second of silence before the fight started. He didn’t know if the jet of fire came from their side or the other, all he knew was that somewhere within the flying fist fight that took over most of the bar patrons, someone set the bar on fire. A fist slammed into his chin. Staggering back, Sokka rubbed at the forming bruise. Had he known they were gonna start a bar fight he might have tried harder to persuade Suki and Ty Lee to cancel their date and join them. A pair of chi blockers would be quite handy.

Sokka threw himself into the fray, tackling the man by the midsection. Fire and fists were flying through the bar. Katara had bent the beer and wine into a weapon, sending her attackers over tables. Toph sent a man through the front door. 

That was what did it. Nearly a dozen guards poured into the bar. Upon their shouts to stop the brawls, a great number of that patrons dashed out windows and the back door. Left inside, Sokka just stood there, eyeing the guards, his friends and the men who had instigated them. He raised his hands; he’d been dragged into enough bar fights with Toph to know that resisting arrest wasn’t worth it. 

Zuko and Katara didn’t have the same mindset. One of the guards had Katara wrapped in a full body hold, lifting her off the ground and they tried to cuff her, as she kicked and screamed and threatened to rip the man’s personal appendages off. Zuko was encouraging her antics, having now been thrown over a man’s shoulders. His hands were cuffed behind his back, and they considered cuffing his feet as he kicked a man in the face. He demanded they released him on the terms he was the Fire Lord. No one believed him.

“You need to calm down.” The guard barely managed to escape unscratched after cuffing Katara’s wrists.

Katara screamed, “I’m completely calm!” 

“Please be gentle with them,” Sokka asked. He offered his wrists, not protesting as they placed the handcuffs on him. “They’re drunk. Normally they are very polite and all that.”

He and the guard looked over at the pair. Zuko had been sat back on the ground after throwing up on a guard’s shoulder. Katara was handcuffed next to him, yelling insults about each of their masculinity. The men they had been fighting were cuffed on the other side of the room, leaning away whenever Katara turned her glare onto them. Toph was no where to be seen. Of course she wasn’t.

“Come on kid. You all can sleep this off in a cell.” The guard took Sokka’s upper arm, leading him out into the carriage. Zuko and Katara were dropped in with him. A second carriage loaded up the other men, and was thankfully directed to take them to another holding center. Sokka was sure that placing all of them within the same jail would just restart a fight. 

Katara leaned her head against Sokka’s shoulder. She fiddled with her cuffed wrists. “Arrested. Look what you’ve done to me. I was the good one. You’ve corrupted me.”

“Getting arrested sucks,” Zuko moaned. He sat across from them. His wrists had been cuffed behind them before being loaded into the carriage, but he had somehow manged to bring them forward. He had a small pick in his fingers, already working on releasing himself.

Sokka made sure Katara was seated upright, before moving to take the lock pick from Zuko. “Why do you always have a lock pick on you.”

Zuko shrugged. He was looking a little green at the movements of the carriage. “Being prepared. Now let me have that. I’ll get us out.”

“No.” Sokka danced his glare over the two of them. “We are going to sit here. Let ourselves be arrested. And Toph will come get us. We are not going to spend the night running from the law. I’ve spent enough of my life running from Fire Nation guards, I’m not doing it tonight.”

Zuko and Katara shared an unimpressed stare. “What a buzzkill.”

“And you say I’m not fun.”

The trio sat in silence the rest of the trip. It wasn’t long before they arrived at the station. After a brief booking (in which they were thankful for Sokka’s cooperation in contrast to the other two) they were dropped into a communal cell. Sokka’s cuffs were removed – a benefit of good behavior. 

Four others were already in the cell. A teenage boy with a frayed shirt and a dark birthmark along his jaw. A pair of women who were laughing in the corner. And a burly middle aged man who was chewing on some strongly smelling tobacco. 

“Whatcha three in for?” The burly man leveled his hazel gaze onto him. There was a tattoo of a dragon across his neck.

“A bunch of losers stopped our fun.” Katara dropped next to the burly man. She looked so small next to the tatted man.

“I hear that,” he replied with a smirk. Sokka did not want to know what the man was in for. What he did want to know was how Zuko managed to steal the lock pick out of his pocket. He took it back from his friend, shoving it into the ribbon holding his hair in the messy wolves tail.

Scolding Zuko for his second attempt of prison escaped caught the attention of the teenage boy. He was beside them, looking at Zuko in awe. “Can you teach me how to pick locks?”

Sokka ran his hand over his face. “Zuko no.”

“Sure buddy.” Zuko beamed at the teen. “It’s fairly easy. You’ll never have to worry about being arrested again once you learn.”

“No Zuko. We are not teaching criminals how to break out of prison.”

The teenage boy rolled his dark brown eyes at him. He had a smirk on his lips that reminded Sokka far too much of the firebending standing next to them. “I’m not a criminal.” 

“You’re in a holding cell.”

“So are you.”

Sokka couldn’t argue against that. 

“Whatcha in for?” Zuko had somehow unlocked the handcuffs on his wrists. The smirk on his lips was far too appetizing to be fair. Sokka checked to make sure the lock pick was still secure in his hair. It was. The bastard had a second set of picks on him. Oh, Sokka was going to kill him. The Fire Lord was already unlocking the handcuffs on the boy’s wrists.

“Picked the wrong man’s pocket. Didn’t care I was looking to just get dinner.”

Zuko’s gaze grew sad as he looked at the young boy. He was thin, wearing clothes slightly too big for him. They were well worn and stained heavily. He didn’t wear any shoes. His hair was dirty. There was a large roundness to his eyes that remained him of the youth Aang’s had held when they first met. The handcuffs fell off his wrists. Zuko tossed the lock pick to Katara before placing his hands on the boy’s shoulders, looking him dead in the eyes. 

“Listen kid… What’s your name?”

“Kuzon.”

Sokka slapped his hand against his forehead. Spirits, was he thankful Aang wasn’t here. He would have fully supported what was about to happen solely on that familiar name.

“Kuzon. Listen Kuzon, there’s nothing wrong with some petty theft. I went on my own crime spree for a time. I was a wanted fugitive through the Earth Kingdom for a lot of theft and breaking and entering. Actually, I think I’m still a wanted fugitive.” Zuko stopped rambling for a moment, thinking. “Or at least, the Blue Spirit is still wanted, no one knows it was me, so keep it between us. I’m still wanted here as well, never got around to clearing that up. But sometimes, a little petty theft is warranted.”

“Preach my friend.” The burly man saluted. Katara gave a hoot in agreement. The cuffs were off her wrists. It amazed Sokka that it took him this long to realize his sister and best friend were straight up criminals. 

Zuko started again. “Sometimes you gotta do whatcha gotta do. You got family?”

A shrugged was given from Kuzon. “Nah. Never had one. Been on my own.”

Katara was beside them, wrapping her arms around the child. She was sniffling through her drunken state. “You poor boy. I’m adopting you.”

Zuko stood straight. The drunkenness still touched his eyes, but his voice was strong as he spoke. “Kuzon, I’m pardoning you. One decree of Fire Lord Zuko, I am granting a full pardon of all charges.”

Kuzon’s eyes widened. “You’re not the Fire Lord.”

“I am.” Zuko just gave off that air of royalty. The heavy drunkenness, the black bruises forming around his unscared eye and jaw and the stain of vomit on his shirt did nothing to squander that. “I, Fire Lord Zuko, rightful ruler of the Dragon’s throne, hereby issue a full pardon for one Kuzon of all charges against him.”

“Long may he reign.” One of the women spoke up. They were snickering behind their hands. “While you giving out pardons, you wanna pass two over here.”

Zuko looked at them in consideration. “What did you guys do?”

“Heard my fiance was sleeping with another girl.” The one with the heavy black eyeliner spoke. “So I tracked him down to find him with her here.”

The woman with her, the one with heavy purple eye shadow nodded along. “He didn’t tell me he was engaged.”

“So I set his shirt on fire,” black eye liner said. “His pants too.”

Katara nodded along with their story. “You have to pardon them Zuko. He had it coming.”

My God, his friends were criminals. He should have realized this back when they were tangling with pirates. 

“I pardon you two.” Zuko waved towards them. He looked at the man in the corner. 

“Oh, petty theft as well.” The tatted man answered.

Sokka didn’t need Toph’s lie detecting skills to know the man was lying. Zuko didn’t pick up on the very obvious lie however (he never picked up on people lying) and issued a full pardon to all in the cell. 

“Bail has been posted!” 

One of the guards appeared before the cell. He fiddled with the set of keys, finding the one for the lock. Toph stood beside him, smirking wickedly at her friends.

“Thank the spirits Toph.” Sokka threw his hands in the air. “We are never taking them out again.”

“You three are free to go,” the guard grunted out. He clearly was done dealing with their shenanigans for the night. 

“We’re all leaving.” Zuko leveled his stare at the guard. “I pardoned them.”

A second guard was behind Toph and he gave a very heavy sigh. A few other guards were peering in through the open doorway. Sokka recognized the gray haired man. Toph and him had been arrested by this man before for a few drunken brawls. They were on decent terms. “You pardoned them?”

“Ya. I’m the Fire Lord. I can do that.”

The head guard ran a hand down his face. He clearly knew who he the stumbling young man he held in his cell was. His gaze leveled onto Sokka. “You take him, your friend and the others and I don’t want to see you the rest of the night.”

Sokka didn’t hesitate, ushering everyone out. The burly man disappeared the moment they stepped outside. The two women offered their thanks before wandering off, a friendship formed through the assault they had bestowed upon the cheating fiance. The teenage boy glanced around unsure where to head.

Zuko placed a hand on his shoulder. “You have somewhere to stay?”

Kuzon shrugged. It was obvious he didn’t have one “I’ll find somewhere.”

“You know,” Zuko spoke slowly, “if you’re looking for a change, you could always come up to Caldera City.”

“Really?”

“Sure. We’re going back tomorrow. There are a lot more opportunities for a kid there. Something other then stealing. A place to stay.” Zuko knew being alone this young wasn’t the best option. They all knew it. Kuzon looked between the four of them. Despite everything that had happened that night, Sokka couldn’t find himself arguing against this. The kid clearly needed something stable in his life. After a moment, he nodded. 

It was a nice moment, the group smiling at the young teen they had taken in. He beamed at Zuko like the sun was shining out of his ass. It was so similar to the way Aang had stared at the firebender when he had first started teaching him (it was the way he still looked at him when they spared). Sokka had to smile at his friend, finding the moment only increasing his attraction to his friend.

The moment was thrown off when Katara’s stomach overturned. She bent at the waist, throwing up against the wall of the guard station. That was all it took for Zuko to empty the remainder of his stomach as well. Toph was laughing. Kuzon looked like he was rethinking his part in all this.

Sokka could only run his hand over his face, wondering why this was his family.


End file.
